Time Warp: We Didn't Start The Fire(Xavier)

[Deleted]

New York City, Summer 2008

How many times was it now?

Five? Or was it six?

Oriel wasn't sure if it was even worth it to keep count anymore of how many times he'd changed hands. How many times he'd changed schools, how many times he'd had to learn a new address and phone number so he could tell the cops where to take him "home" to when he actually got caught. How many times he'd been introduced to new "cell-mates" and "wardens" who all looked at him like he was personally responsible for WTC Ground Zero. And not a one of them respected him enough to call him by his given name.

He remembered one liked to shorten the names of his fosters, calling him "Ori" like he was some sort of kid(well, he was a kid, but that was beside the point). Another old Grecian hag liked to call him her little "bird". He had no idea where that reference came from. There was another Brooklyn couple who didn't pronounce it right and always called him "Oreo". At least they let him eat as much as his namesake as he wanted. After that, he was stuck with a old-vet who didn't even bother with names and just gave them all numbers in the order that they came in. Oriel was number 23.

Therefore, Oriel figured that if they couldn't get his name right, then he wasn't going to bother learning theirs either, even of the other fosters, especially since he probably wasn't going to be there for very long anyway.

Unless they had a particularly cool name.

Like Xavier.

X-zavier!

Oriel just liked to say it out loud, and would do so often with a little panache whenever he was in the vicinity of the other boy. Which was exactly what he was doing at that moment from the tree overlooking the small yard in front of the Manhattan foster home. Oriel smiled down at the other boy of the same age with a bright, toothy smile of a child.

"X-zaaaaaavier!" He called out to the boy below.

[Xavier O'Conner]

Xavier had no idea what house he was in now. He switched so often that he didn't really keep track of it. Whether he got into to trouble and the foster parents didn't want him back or They didn't like that he talked back to them and didn't do a single thing they asked. He was always passed around to the next people that would take him.

The one thing Xavier liked about all of the different houses was the outdoors. If they didn't have a backyard, Xavier would find his way to the roof. If he some how couldn't do any of that he would wander off and explore whatever town he was in. Luckily the house he was in now actually had backyard.

"X-zaaaaaavier!"

Xavier looked up from where he was laying down underneath the tree and saw Oriel. He gave the kid a smile with his two front teeth gone. He had happened to knock them out after hitting his head on cement at the last house he was at and the grown-up teeth hadn't come back in yet. " Hello!" Xavier gave a wave up to the other boy.

Xavier only ever kept track of who he was with him from the foster system in each home. There was always at least someone because the parents didn't want to ruin a perfect friendship which in reality was the guy standing next to you when they came to pick you up. You never know when you might
see that person again in a different house and at least everything wasn't new

" How did you get into the tree?" Xavier was always ready to get himself into more danger and try to see how much danger he could put himself in. He had to look foreword to something in his day.

[Deleted]

Oriel swung underneath the branch he was on, hanging like a sloth with both legs wrapped around and one hand held on for extra support. "Climbed it, obviously." How the hell else would he get up there.

Ok, maybe it was a (little) feat, the first branch was pretty far up there. But Oriel had a knack for finding footholds when there seemed to be none, so climbing a tree like a koala was like nothing to him. And his small size made it even easier, believe it or not. Or maybe he was just full of shit. "There's a hole in the trunk on the other side," Oriel fessed up with a quick jerk of his head. Oriel swung his other arm up and monkey climbed back on top of the branch. "C'mon, get up here!" he dared the other boy. "X-zavier!!" And Oriel continued up a tier higher.

[Xavier O'Conner]

Xavier smirked when Oriel finally told him how to get up. He followed the other boy up the tree. Xavier was happy to go up into the tree. Anything he could do that was fun was fine with him. Xavier climbed to the same branch Oriel had been on and moved until he hung upside down by his legs. Xavier started laughing while he was upside down and it gave him a weird feeling that only made him laugh more.

" I made it up!" Xavier bragged to Oriel." Can you hang upside down?" Xavier taunted the other boy. He wanted to see how far he could hang and not fall on his head.

[Deleted]

"Ha! Of course I can! I invented that move!" Oriel was happy that Xavier can up to join him in in his tree swinging shenanigans. But that didn't mean he was about to let himself be showed up by the other boy. Oriel monkey climes to another branch to give himself more room and copied his playmate in hanging by his knees and swinging back and forth.

Of course, Oriel was a colossal brat and had to do one better. "Check this out!" Oriel shouted. He grabbed both hands onto the branch and flipped himself over and backwards like an acrobat, dropping himself to the ground several feet below.

The stupid little kid cringed at the sting of both his feet hitting the ground with such force and he flopped to his bottom. "Owww..."